The Horne Foundry emitted about 24 times more arsenic into the air than the Quebec standard last year.
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The company announced on Tuesday that it emitted an average of 73.1 nanograms of arsenic per cubic meter in 2022.
The measurement is taken from the legal station closest to the factory, on the axis of the prevailing winds.
This is a decrease from 2021, when the average release of arsenic to air was 87 nanograms per cubic metre.
Keep in mind that the Quebec standard for airborne arsenic release is set at three nanograms per cubic meter.
The smelter’s owner, Glencore, says it recognizes this is “just a step” toward even greater reductions in its arsenic emissions.
He adds “that he still has a long way to go” and “is confident of reaching the threshold of 15 nanograms of arsenic per cubic meter on the legal station within the next five years”.